Gaining muscle mass for dummies... (need it broken down a bit)

[robintemplin]

@Goldengirl52 @Just_Juju
Well, I need to apologize. I read osteoporosis but my brain heard arthritis. Sheesh.
I’ve never had osteoporosis! But my arthritis certainly went away.
So, never mind. And carry on.

[Goldengirl52]

no problem Robin, sounds like me, honestly Btw, I don’t have any pain, unless you call a few sore muscles from workouts on occasion. I mean, not since getting on Keto. All that good, anti-inflammatory food

[kib1]

Well curing arthritis is pretty awesome too!

[scaperdude]

I have a simple weight bench and some free weights. That’s it for equipment.

You do not need lots of equipment to gain muscle, but you do have to work muscles basically to the point of their failure. So your farm work is probably good aerobic exercise, but is not really working the muscles to the point of stimulating growth. I gained a few pounds of muscle(about 6) this winter using only two dumbells and a nautilus stand. On the Nautilus I do chinups, pullups, leg raises, dips(triceps and shoulders), and hanging rows. This year instead of using the arm rests to do leg raises, I switched to hanging leg raises and whoa! You can build your core with those. I also used a simple ab roller with a foam pad for my knees. The dumbells I used to do squats, arm curls and hammer curls. I also did diamond pushups. If you lower yourself to touch the floor/ground, these are challenging enough for me. I do have a bench press, but didn’t get it out to use it, so with that there are a few more exercises you can add.

For this, you need amino acids (protein), particularly the branched-chain amino acids, which facilitate muscle growth. You also need plenty of fat to fuel the muscle growth. (Breaking down proteins and reconstituting them takes energy.) You can get all the amino acids and fat you need from eating meat.

Dr. Anthony Chaffee says that, in his experience, muscle growth does not required carbohydrate. He says that, while it can bulk muscle by creating intramuscular fat and by means of the water-retention promoted by stored glycogen, then you have to remove all that fat and water during the cutting phase. He says it’s easier on the body to simply not use carbs in the first place.

I like to suppress my mTor with intermittent fasting the day of, and then work out in the evening. Immediately after or even during workout I make a protein smoothie. I typically use about 30 g of whey protein, and then some additional plant protein powder(I use Orgain with superfoods which gives me about 20 g of carbs). I spike the plant protein powder with a little BCAAs to make it more anabolic. It all goes in the blender with an avocado. I was using coconut milk as the base of my smoothie, but seemed to gain about 8 pounds of fat along with my 6 pounds of muscle, so switched to mostly almond milk(hemp would be preferable) or some kind of raw dairy, and then stopped gaining the fat.

I also drop 3-5 gr of creatine in the mix. The carbs do increase your insulin which pushes more creatine, protein and nutrients into the muscle cells including the new ones. All this also jumps mTor up. Together the high insulin and mTor are muscle growth promoting.

New muscle growth comes from satellite cells, which are a type of stem cells. These need nutrients to grow. Unlike gaining fat, building muscle is a slow process, and I believe comes from mostly stimulating those satellite cells to multiply and then grow. If these satellite cells don’t multiply, you won’t grow any new muscle… Muscle cells don’t divide. It’s kind of a constant process of stimulating more satellite cells to divide than present muscle cells dying off.

Anyway, I have always been a skinny guy, and this routine is the best I have found to add any muscle. This year I did add quite a bit of fat, but I already had those fat cells laying there from a few years back, just waiting to be filled. I think the insulin was pushing the fat from the coconut milk there. I have already lost about 4 pounds of that fat, but probably a pound or two of the muscle as well. So Chaffee may be right, but I am just happy to gain the muscle almost however I can.

[Goldengirl52]

well I’m glad to see this thread as I’m definitely in the “dummie” catagory. I’ve lost down to 107 lbs and skinny as a rail, yuck! Loose skin, and started walking uphill a lot lately which is helping, but I’m eating too little, today I’m just going to be at 999 calories. Yes my macros are right, but I’m under on all of them, not hitting my goals. My gym is closed for upgrades/reboot, whatever, but I can get back in on the 2nd.

I’ve got to eat more, when and lift heavier, they say, to build muscle/bulk whatever. So I’ll be kickin around here trying to figure what else I can eat. I’ve got 5 large chicken thighs, skin and all in the oven now, I can add another egg, maybe 2, and guessing I need more meat than just 2 ounces of sausage as my first meal. Who’d of thought I’d be trying to eat more, but I think I’ve lost some muscle whether it’s just age, or not enough weight-training, guess I’ll be finding out

[Alecmcq]

Denise
That’s a good problem to have, but a problem nonetheless… you do need to make sure you are eating well! Given your weight, I would be going for lots of fatty meat, and do you like butter? That’s a great way to get some more calories in pretty easily, add a large portion of butter to each meal. I personally would be avoiding any fibre… non-nutritious, fills you up with no nutrition benefit.

And when you get to the gym, go mad, go heavy! Do some basic weights per the advice above, but it needs to be heavy (for you). That means heavy enough that you can just about do 6-8 reps, but that’s it. If you are done at 8 reps, and can’t do another one, that’s perfect! As soon as you can do more than 8 reps, up the weight!

Take care, good luck. And well done for the great weight (fat) loss, now for the weight (muscle) gain!
Cheers
Alec

[Goldengirl52]

Yes, I love butter but will add some in. You made it easy for me to understand, I appreciate that a lot. I can definitely make a plan with just dumbells to start. Even in the a.m.'s at my gym, it’s hard to get to the free-weights. There’s cable-type weights and machines galore. I get one, free day with a trainer, and they can help me put together something of a plan, but I’ll stick to what you said. I’ve heard it before, but just didn’t put it into action.

I mainly did 12 reps, and didn’t push myself near enough. I think macros are a bit hard for me to “reach” and I didn’t worry much about calories along the 3-4 years on keto. I want to see the scale go up now, with hopefully muscle gain. If I gain fat, I won’t be happy with that, so I’m just trying to use common sense, and eat according to keep off stored fat, which I still have that visceral plus the stuff that shows around my waist. The sagging skin might go too I hope, but with my age I’m not sure it can.

Thanks again and I’ll keep you posted. Probably make my own thread on my progress The best I have until the 2nd is uphill/hiking I can do when it’s cool enough, and we are getting sort of “perfect” weather right now thank goodness denise

[Goldengirl52]

Just found this @Alecmcq, I haven’t read it all, but it starts out which I think aligns with what your input is:

4 simple rules for building muscle

[VirginiaEdie]

To add to what @Alecmcq said. Make sure you are eating about 1g of protein per pound of body weight. Maybe even a little more since you want to add muscle and put on some weight. Also, when increasing your weights, do it slowly. Sometimes the muscles are ready for more weight, but the tendons and ligaments are not.

I’m going to contradict Alec here a bit, but you don’t need to go to failure. If you stop a rep or two from failure you will still get strength gains, especially if you are consistent, but it will be safer not to go to failure.

[Goldengirl52]

Hi Edie, I don’t know if strength and building muscle are the same type of lifting, but I think I need to do it to failure, or fatigue. I’ve done it the other way with not an inch added. I always appreciate yours, or anyone input, but I think I’ll try the way Alec suggests, at least to see how I do

Also, the eating thing I’ll be reaching for that goal of 1g protein per body weight, and have to keep enough fat coming in to supply my energy since I’m so low-carb now

Thanks much, Denise

[PaulL]

Thanks again and I’ll keep you posted. Probably make my own thread on my progress

Just remember, Bikman says the key to building muscle is not the weight per se, but rather repeating the lifting till failure, whatever the weight. Of course, it’s easier to reach failure sooner with more weight . . .

(With apologies to Mark Twain, exercise fascinates me; I could sit and watch it for hours!)

[Goldengirl52]

Yes, I will keep that front and center in my mind. I need to try this, and I expect I’ll probably feel the need for more food too, more appetite Too bad we can’t get the exercise through osmosis,

[Goldengirl52]

Well, today is looking better, and I’m only through brunch but I can guarantee (well, just about) that I will eat the rest of it too, lol! Oink!!

Sorry it’s so teenie, but I couldn’t get it all in without shrinking it down, literally!! LOL!! The text, not the food

[Goldengirl52]

I so agree with Anthony! Thanks for this Paul, just reaffirmed what I want to do, and thank you to @Bellyman for the thread. I hadn’t read all of it, but doing that now

I read a lot a few years ago about women eating more to weigh less, but it wasn’t keto, and they talked a lot about their doing the “cutting” phase. I can’t imagine having to do that now that I know about keto, just eliminate the carbs if the fat is all I need for fuel. I and can assure anyone reading this, I have way more energy, and strength than I had before using “carbs” for my energy source, and of course storing fat

somewhere around 4 years of keto, I should look at when I started here to know for sure, because this forum got me onto keto when I diagnosed with T2 Diabetes

I’m with you as well Brian as I need some muscle for my skinny ole frame So I’ll go and read more of the thread now, thank you again for a great topic!!

[Just_Juju]

Make sure you are eating about 1g of protein per pound of body weight

Ok in another post I read it was .8-10 g per kg of weight. Since I started Keto I’ve been aiming for .8g per pound of weight. That’s a lot different than per kg of weight.

Which is it? Lb or kg?

If aiming for 1g per, at 150 lbs would it be per pound so 150g of protein? Or would it be 76g of protein if per kg? (I’ve never been able to reach 150g, the highest I’ve ever reached was about 128g.)

[Shinita]

1g per pound or kg, both may work, I consider it best in-between but it’s individual. 1g per pound probably won’t be used up, it may be okay to make sure it will be enough even some won’t get absorbed - and some people do use up more than others… I can understand wanting to be safe I heard about people who gained muscle just fine with 1g/kg, I am all for 1.5-2g/kg (for lean body mass) myself but I never could eat that little, no matter my actual diet. Fatty animal protein (but plant protein too) always had an irresistible pull on me.

[Goldengirl52]

I reset MFP for my macro goals, but if closest I could get as a free member is 105 grams, for my present weight of 109. I gain a couple lbs in the last couple weeks with not enough exercise, and lots of fat, I think that’s why. I doubt it’s muscle growth since no lifting at all.

So if it’s 1 g per lb of weight, I wonder how much fat we should be getting per lb? I never saw that info anywhere, and I just take what’s left and minus, or plus the fat grams, at least that’s on Myfitnesspal. That’s the easiest app I’ve ever found, maybe because I’m used to it. I don’t worry about calories any longer unless I see I’m just not eating enough food when I’m being active on a regular basis.

Feedback always welcome, especially interested in others macros if you wouldn’t mind sharing them, if you are successfully building muscle now, or, have in the past, either way it might help me, Denise

PS I’m going in the a.m. and start my workout, but had some health issues flare up last 2 days. Gym just opened yesterday, but I just walked to make sure I felt good enough to tackle weights

[Goldengirl52]

I had this almost exactly the 3 years I was working out at a gym at my previous address. I like how you have it in writing though because I can print this out @Wnajegon

What do your work-outs look like now?

I did a little over an hour walk/hike this a.m. in the hills of my neighborhood. I was about to start some dumbells I have here at home, just Set of 5 lb’rs as I pushed these up a couple of times and I knew I could do 10, maybe 12 reps with those.

Funny how I can do the machines that sort of mimic the “free-weight lifting” at higher weights, but I’ll just listen to my body, instead of whats “written” on the machines, or the free weights

I like the smith machine for my squats, or just dumbells if that’s all I can get hold of. Some days I’ll just walk/hike up-hill 30 min. and then back home like today, because I want to start with an upper body workout tomorrow at my gym. Thank you for you input especially because those are all things I’m familiar with for one thing.
denise

[VirginiaEdie]

Sorry for the delay. I was on vacation and staying off social media.

I’ve been listening to a podcast called Mind Pump about strength training. They are not keto, but they promote eating 1 g of protein per pound of ideal body weight. They use this number because it is easy to remember and because a lot of people have a hard time getting enough protein, so if they can get close to the 1g/lb goal that is probably good enough.

I started doing this earlier this year when I started using some of their workout programs. I’ve noticed some interesting changes. The biggest are skin and hair. I had my last period almost a year ago. Soon afterwards my hair (on my body and my head) pretty much stopped growing. I only had to shave my legs about once every week or so and after getting my hair cut short, it didn’t seem to grow afterwards. I feel like my skin is looking healthier.

Whereas previously, I was usually eating 2mad, in order to get the recommended amount of protein, I had to up to 3mad. This put me on a bit of a reverse diet. I hadn’t tracked my food for years, but I tracked myself for a week and found I had been undereating. By adding that third meal, I had upped my calories to approximated 1500 calories a day. Still low according to the Mind Pump guys.

About a month into the diet change, my hair and nails started growing like gangbusters. I have to shave my legs every few days now (annoying, but healthier than the alternative ). Every time I turn around, I have to clip my fingernails. My hair is much fuller and growing quickly. It is a very noticeable change. All of this without using collagen (which I tried but couldn’t remember to keep taking )

It’s possible it is just eating more in general, but the thing I added was protein/meat. Carbs stayed the same, so I think it is the increase in protein that has improved hair, skin, and nails.

I also noticed my recovery after working out has improved. That’s probably because of eating more in general.

[BuckRimfire]

Just remember, Bikman says the key to building muscle is not the weight per se, but rather repeating the lifting till failure, whatever the weight. Of course, it’s easier to reach failure sooner with more weight .

I’ve been watching a lot of Dr. Mike Israetel videos with my spousal critter lately, because we like his puerile sense of humor. He keeps saying that for strength (in the power-lifter sense of the word: increasing your one-rep maximum that you can lift) very low reps are needed, meaning like 3 to 5 reps to fatigue, but that for hypertrophy (growth/bodybuilding) anything from 6 to 30 is good. Since almost no one actually does competitive power-lifting (it’s a sport, not a fitness method), we don’t need to worry about one-rep strength.

That’s a HUGE training range! On the one hand, that’s good news, because it suggests you don’t have to have exactly the right weight to fatigue at 9 or 10 reps. You can get away with fewer different weights and adapt them to your routine. Also, lighter weights are going to be easier on your joints, so being able to get benefit from fatigue at 20 reps or so is less risky than lifting heavy.

On the other hand, it’s mentioned that it’s harder to judge when you are actually almost-but-not-quite fatigued when lifting lighter. It seems to be generally agreed that you don’t have to go ABSOLUTELY to fatigue; that gains will still occur if you stop with one or two “reps in reserve.” But if you think you could have done only two more but you misjudge and in reality you could have done five more if you really focused, you’re probably cheating yourself out of the benefits, at least somewhat.

Another interesting fact is that it seems you don’t need to work out three times per week. Dr. Mike and others I’ve heard/read suggest that one or two days per muscle is enough each week. If you did squats or deadlifts, pushups and bent-over dumbbell rows one day and calf-raises, overhead dumbbell press, dips or lat pulldowns and maybe lateral raises on another day, that would be a fairly whole-body workout that doesn’t take a huge amount of time.

They also seem too agree that as you get older (like Kamala Harris, I’ll be turning 60 before the end of this year; there’s a trivial fact I’ve been repeating a lot lately since it’s in the news), you need more recovery time, so lifting/exercising TOO many days a week may not be a great idea. Probably one or two days a week should be rest days, without any major physical efforts.